The Relationship Between the Pain Experience and Emotion Regulation in Older Adults

Pain Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 3366-3376
Author(s):  
Omeed Ghandehari ◽  
Natasha L Gallant ◽  
Thomas Hadjistavropoulos ◽  
Jaime Williams ◽  
David A Clark
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Fear Of Pain ◽  
Emotional Suppression ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objective To investigate the relationship of emotion regulation strategies (i.e., emotional suppression and reappraisal) with pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, pain intensity, worry, and depression as function of age in samples of older and younger adults. Design Cross-sectional design using validated questionnaires. Setting Participants resided in the community. They completed validated measures using online questionnaires. Subjects Two-hundred fifty-seven older adults and 254 younger adults with chronic pain participated. Methods Participants completed validated questionnaires of emotion regulation strategies, pain-related functioning and mental health. Results Emotion regulation varied as a function of age and gender. Among our chronic pain sample, older adult males reported lower use of reappraisal and suppression than younger adult males, while older adult females reported higher use of reappraisal than younger adult females. Emotional suppression was positively related to pain catastrophizing, pain intensity, worry, and depression. Reappraisal was negatively related to depression and worry. Interestingly, age showed a positive relationship with fear of pain, pain catastrophizing, worry, depression, and pain intensity, while gender was related to fear of pain and worry. Finally, emotional reappraisal partially mediated the relationship between the affective dimensions of pain intensity and pain catastrophizing among older adults. Conclusions Our results indicate that reappraisal strategies are important for older and younger adults with chronic pain, pointing to the necessity of considering these strategies when working clinically with such populations. However, given our findings as well as those in the literature, gender should also be considered.

scholarly journals Pain Catastrophizing Moderates Relationships between Pain Intensity and Opioid Prescription

2017 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasamin Sharifzadeh ◽  
Ming-Chih Kao ◽  
John A. Sturgeon ◽  
Thomas J. Rico ◽  
Sean Mackey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Pain Treatment ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Treatment Center ◽  
Women Patients ◽  
Opioid Prescription ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Pain catastrophizing is a maladaptive response to pain that amplifies chronic pain intensity and distress. Few studies have examined how pain catastrophizing relates to opioid prescription in outpatients with chronic pain. Methods The authors conducted a retrospective observational study of the relationships between opioid prescription, pain intensity, and pain catastrophizing in 1,794 adults (1,129 women; 63%) presenting for new evaluation at a large tertiary care pain treatment center. Data were sourced primarily from an open-source, learning health system and pain registry and secondarily from manual review of electronic medical records. A binary opioid prescription variable (yes/no) constituted the dependent variable; independent variables were age, sex, pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, depression, and anxiety. Results Most patients were prescribed at least one opioid medication (57%; n = 1,020). A significant interaction and main effects of pain intensity and pain catastrophizing on opioid prescription were noted (P < 0.04). Additive modeling revealed sex differences in the relationship between pain catastrophizing, pain intensity, and opioid prescription, such that opioid prescription became more common at lower levels of pain catastrophizing for women than for men. Conclusions Results supported the conclusion that pain catastrophizing and sex moderate the relationship between pain intensity and opioid prescription. Although men and women patients had similar Pain Catastrophizing Scale scores, historically “subthreshold” levels of pain catastrophizing were significantly associated with opioid prescription only for women patients. These findings suggest that pain intensity and catastrophizing contribute to different patterns of opioid prescription for men and women patients, highlighting a potential need for examination and intervention in future studies.

scholarly journals Assessment of Pain Anxiety, Pain Catastrophizing, and Fear of Pain in Children and Adolescents With Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Fisher ◽  
Lauren C Heathcote ◽  
Christopher Eccleston ◽  
Laura E Simons ◽  
Tonya M Palermo
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Fear Of Pain ◽  
Pain Anxiety

Abstract Objective To conduct a systematic review of pain anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and fear of pain measures psychometrically established in youth with chronic pain. The review addresses three specific aims: (1) to identify measures used in youth with chronic pain, summarizing their content, psychometric properties, and use; (2) to use evidence-based assessment criteria to rate each measure according to the Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP) guidelines; (3) to pool data across studies for meta-analysis of shared variance in psychometric performance in relation to the primary outcomes of pain intensity, disability, generalized anxiety, and depression. Methods We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and relevant literature for possible studies to include. We identified measures studied in youth with chronic pain that assessed pain anxiety, pain catastrophizing, or fear of pain and extracted the item-level content. Study and participant characteristics, and correlation data were extracted for summary and meta-analysis, and measures were rated using the SPP evidence-based assessment criteria. Results Fifty-four studies (84 papers) met the inclusion criteria, including seven relevant measures: one assessed pain anxiety, three pain catastrophizing, and three fear of pain. Overall, five measures were rated as “well established.” We conducted meta-analyses on four measures with available data. We found significant positive correlations with the variables pain intensity, disability, generalized anxiety, and depression. Conclusion Seven measures are available to assess pain anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and fear of pain in young people with chronic pain, and most are well established. We present implications for practice and directions for future research.

scholarly journals Pain catastrophizing, perceived injustice, and pain intensity impair life satisfaction through differential patterns of physical and psychological disruption

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 390-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Sturgeon ◽  
Maisa S. Ziadni ◽  
Zina Trost ◽  
Beth D. Darnall ◽  
Sean C. Mackey
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Cognitive Appraisal ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Perceived Injustice ◽  
Appraisal Processes ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractBackground and purposePrevious research has highlighted the importance of cognitive appraisal processes in determining the nature and effectiveness of coping with chronic pain. Two of the key variables implicated in appraisal of pain are catastrophizing and perceived injustice, which exacerbate the severity of pain-related distress and increase the risk of long-term disability through maladaptive behavioural responses. However, to date, the influences of these phenomena have not been examined concurrently, nor have they been related specifically to quality of life measures, such as life satisfaction.MethodsUsing data froman online survey of330 individuals with chronic pain, structural path modelling techniques were used to examine the independent effects of pain catastrophizing, perceived injustice, and average pain intensity on life satisfaction. Two potential mediators of these relationships were examined: depressive symptoms and pain-related interference.ResultsResults indicated that depressive symptoms fully mediated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and life satisfaction, and pain interference fully mediated the relationship between pain intensity and life satisfaction. Both depressive symptoms and pain interference were found to significantly mediate the relationship between perceived injustice and life satisfaction, but perceived injustice continued to demonstrate a significant and negative relationship with life satisfaction, above and beyond the other study variables.ConclusionsThe current findings highlight the distinct affective and behavioural mediators of pain and maladaptive cognitive appraisal processes in chronic pain, and highlight their importance in both perceptions of pain-related interference and longer-term quality of life.

scholarly journals Alexithymia and Fear of Pain Independently Predict Heat Pain Intensity Ratings among Undergraduate University Students

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Katz ◽  
Andrea L Martin ◽  
M Gabrielle Pagé ◽  
Vincent Calleri
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Emotional Awareness ◽  
Heat Pain ◽  
Fear Of Pain ◽  
Pain Experience ◽  
Pain Anxiety ◽  
Average Heat ◽  
Psychological Constructs ◽  
The Relationship

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is a disturbance in awareness and cognitive processing of affect that is associated with over-reporting of physical symptoms, including pain. The relationship between alexithymia and other psychological constructs that are often associated with pain has yet to be evaluated.OBJECTIVES: The present study examined the importance of alexithymia in the pain experience in relation to other integral psychological components of Turk’s diathesis-stress model of chronic pain and disability, including fear of pain, anxiety sensitivity, pain avoidance and pain catastrophizing.METHODS: Heat pain stimuli, using a magnitude estimation procedure, and five questionnaires (Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Fear of Pain Questionnaire III, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, avoidance subscale of the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20 and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20) were administered to 67 undergraduate students (44 women) with a mean (± SD) age of 20.39±3.77 years.RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that sex, fear of pain and alexithymia were the only significant predictors of average heat pain intensity (F[6, 60]=5.43; R2=0.35; P=0.008), accounting for 6.8%, 20.0% and 9.6% of unique variance, respectively. Moreover, the difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings subscales, but not the externally oriented thinking subscale of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 significantly predicted average heat pain intensity.CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with higher levels of alexithymia or increased fear of pain reported higher average pain intensity ratings. The relationship between alexithymia and pain intensity was unrelated to other psychological constructs usually associated with pain. These findings suggest that difficulties with emotion regulation, either through reduced emotional awareness via alexithymia or heightened emotional awareness via fear of pain, may negatively impact the pain experience.

The Influence of Age on Emotion Regulation Strategies and Psychological Distress

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 668-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Brummer ◽  
Lusia Stopa ◽  
Romola Bucks
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Emotional Suppression ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Regulation Strategies

Background: To date there is promising, yet limited, evidence to suggest that differences exist between older and younger adults’ emotion regulation styles. Aims: The study aimed to explore emotion regulation style across the adult lifespan by assessing whether self-reported reappraisal, or suppression, differs across age groups, and how these emotion regulation strategies may impact upon psychological distress. Method: Three hundred and seventeen younger, 175 middle-aged and 85 older adults’ emotion regulation styles and levels of psychological distress were measured using self-report questionnaires and examined using a cross-sectional design. Results: The findings suggest that, compared to younger adults, older adults make greater use of suppression, the emotion regulation strategy. This greater use of suppression by older adults was not related to increased levels of psychological distress. By contrast, younger adults who reported high levels of suppression reported higher levels of psychological distress. In addition, older adults reported less anxiety and stress than younger adults, with no age differences in depression. Conclusions: Findings suggest a possible decoupling of the use of emotional suppression and psychological distress with age. Suppression may be a useful form of emotion regulation for the stressors experienced in later life and, arguably, therefore may not be associated with the negative outcomes observed in younger adults.

Video Games and Emotion Regulation

GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Ossenfort ◽  
Derek M. Isaacowitz
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Interactive Media ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Media Preferences

Abstract. Research on age differences in media usage has shown that older adults are more likely than younger adults to select positive emotional content. Research on emotional aging has examined whether older adults also seek out positivity in the everyday situations they choose, resulting so far in mixed results. We investigated the emotional choices of different age groups using video games as a more interactive type of affect-laden stimuli. Participants made multiple selections from a group of positive and negative games. Results showed that older adults selected the more positive games, but also reported feeling worse after playing them. Results supplement the literature on positivity in situation selection as well as on older adults’ interactive media preferences.

scholarly journals The relationship between psychosocial factors and reported disability: The role of pain self-efficacy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Varela
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Chronic pain in all its forms and the accompanying level of disability is a healthcare crisis that reaches epidemic proportions and is considered a world level crisis. Chronic non-specific low back pain contributes a significant proportion of chronic pain. Specific psychosocial factors and their influence on reported disability in a chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) population was researched. Methods Psychosocial factors examined include fear, catastrophizing, depression, and pain self-efficacy. This cross-sectional correlational study examined the mediating role between pain self-efficacy and the specific psychosocial factors with reported disability. The study included 90 participants with CNLBP between 20 and 60 years of age. Participants completed the Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire, The Pain Catastrophizing Scale, The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, The Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and The Lumbar Oswestry Disability Index to measure fear of physical activity, pain catastrophizing, depression, pain self-efficacy, and reported disability, respectively. The study used multivariate regression and mediation analyses. Results The principal finding of the study was a strong inverse relationship between pain self-efficacy and reported disability. Further, pain self-efficacy was considered a statistic mediator for all psychosocial factors investigated within this data set. Pain self-efficacy was strongly considered to have a mediating role between reported fear of physical activity and disability, reported pain catastrophizing and disability, and reported depression and disability. Additionally, adjusting for age and reported pain levels proved to be statistically significant, and it did not alter the role of pain self-efficacy. Conclusion The results identified that pain self-efficacy had a mediating role in the relationship between the specific psychosocial factors of fear, catastrophizing, and depression and reported disability. Pain self-efficacy plays a more significant role in the relationships between specific psychosocial factors and reported disability with CNLBP than previously considered.

scholarly journals A physical activity program versus usual care in the management of quality of life for pre-frail older adults with chronic pain in primary care: randomized controlled trial.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Otones ◽  
Eva García ◽  
Teresa Sanz ◽  
Azucena Pedraz
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Usual Care ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Physical Performance ◽  
Frail Older Adults

Abstract Background Exercise have shown being effective for managing chronic pain and preventing frailty status in older adults but the effect of an exercise program in the quality of life of pre-frail older adults with chronic pain remains unclear. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of multicomponent structured physical exercise program for pre-frail adults aged 65 years or more with chronic pain to improve their perceived health related quality of life, compared with usual care. Methods Open label randomized controlled trial. Participants were community-dwelling pre-frail older adults aged 65 years or older with chronic pain and non-dependent for basic activities of daily living attending a Primary Healthcare Centre. Forty-four participants were randomly allocated to a control group (n = 20) that received usual care or an intervention group (n = 24) that received an 8-week physical activity and education program. Frailty status (SHARE Frailty Index), quality of life (EuroQol-5D-5L), pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale), physical performance (Short Physical Performance Battery) and depression (Yessavage) were assessed at baseline, after the intervention and after 3 months follow-up. The effect of the intervention was analysed by mean differences between the intervention and control groups. Results The follow-up period (3 months) was completed by 32 patients (73%), 17 in the control group and 15 in the intervention group. Most participants were women (78.1%) with a mean age (standard deviation) of 77.2 (5.9) years and a mean pain intensity of 48.1 (24.4) mm. No relevant differences were found between groups at baseline. After the intervention, mean differences in the EuroQol Index Value between control and intervention groups were significant (-0.19 95%CI(-0.33- -0.04)) and remained after three months follow-up (-0.21 95%CI(-0.37- -0.05)). Participants in the exercise group showed better results in pain intensity and frailty after the intervention, and an improvement in physical performance after the intervention and after three months. Conclusions An eight-week physical activity and education program for pre-frail older adults with chronic pain, compared with usual care, could be effective to improve quality of life after the intervention and after three-months follow-up. Study registration details: This study was retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier NCT04045535.

Visitation and quality of life among older adults in jail

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Grace Prost ◽  
Meghan A. Novisky
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Developmental Theory ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper aims to examine differences in measures of and relationships between visitation and quality of life (QOL) among older and younger jailed adults. The authors also explored the contribution of visitation to QOL among adults in this setting. The authors anticipated fewer visits and lower QOL among older adults. Framed by psychosocial developmental theory, the authors also anticipated a larger effect in the relationship between visitation and QOL among older rather than younger adults and that visitation would contribute most readily to psychological QOL. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional data from a large US jail were used (n = 264). The authors described the sample regarding visitation and QOL measures among older (≥45) and younger adults (≤44) and examined differences in measures of and relationships between visitation and QOL using independent sample t-tests and bivariate analyses. The authors explored the contribution of visitation to psychological, social relationships, physical and environmental QOL among jailed adults using hierarchical multiple linear regression. Findings Older adults had fewer family visits and lower physical QOL than younger adults, disparities were moderate in effect (d range = 0.33–0.35). A significant difference also emerged between groups regarding the visitation and environmental QOL relationship (z = 1.66, p <0.05). Visitation contributed to variation in physical and social relationships QOL among jailed adults (Beta range = 0.19–0.24). Originality/value Limited research exists among jailed older adults and scholars have yet to examine the relationship between visitation and QOL among persons in these settings.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document